Inside the A---'s Studio

Google “James Lipton� and “obsequious� and you get 516 responses, which seems to shortchange the issue a bit. (Perhaps it's because if you just Google “James Lipton,� there’s only 518 entries.)

Sunday’s “Inside the Actor’s Studio� (9 p.m. on Bravo) commemorates its 200th episode with Lipton drooling all over Dustin Hoffman, “One of the most illustrious acting careers of the past forty years.�

Well, Hoffman is a Hollywood luminary, so Lipton’s toadying isn’t as hilarious here as it as it usually is. The most he manages in terms of hyperbole is: “It’s safe to say that with all the memorable nights we’ve had with this series, we’ve never had one like this.� Well, of course you have, James: 199 previous nights, in fact, of shameless backside smooching. Hoffman tells some good stories and even tears up a couple of times, but it doesn’t seem to be because he’s regretting having agreed to appear alongside Lipton.